Continued ...
Macarthur..
" the believers in Samaria who were converted under the ministry of Philip had to wait a short while to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, until Peter and John came up to Samaria and layed hands on the converts (Acts 8:17). In that unique transitional situation as the Church was beginning, those particular believers had to wait for the Holy Spirit, but they were not told to seek Him. The purpose for that exception was to demonstrate to the apostles, and to bring word back to the Jewish believers in general, that the same Holy Spirit baptized and filled Samaritan believers as baptized and filled Jewish believers--just a short while later Peter and a few other Jewish Christians were sent to witness to Cornelius and his household in order to be convinced that the gospel was for all men and to see that "the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also"(Acts 10:44-45). Those special transitional events did not represent the norm, as our present text makes clear, but were given to indicate to all that the body was one"....
"Why did the Samaritans (and later the Gentiles) have to wait for the apostles before receiving the Spirit? For centuries, the Samaritans and the Jews had been bitter rivals. If the Samaritans had received the Spirit independent of the Jerusalem, that rift would have been perpetuated. There could well have been two separate churches, a Jewish church and a Samaritan church. But God had designed one church, in which "there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female," but "all are one in Christ Jesus" (Gal. 3:2.)...
By delaying the Spirit's coming until Peter and John arrived, God preserved the unity of the church. The apostles needed to see for themselves, and give firsthand testimony to the Jerusalem church, that the Spirit came upon the Samaritans. The Samaritans also needed to learn that they were subject to apostolic authority. The Jewish believers and Samaritans were thus linked together in one body....
Today, believers receive the Spirit at salvation (cf.1 Cor. 12:13). There was no need for delay after Jews, Gentiles, Samaritans, and Old Testament saints were already included in the church.
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John 10:26-27. Likewise. The Sheep are those true OT believers given to Jesus by the Father. They will here the Gospel and will be justified and born again "in Christ" when they are made one with Him in that spiritual baptism called the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the NT indwelling that places us "in Christ". When God makes a Promise, He keeps it. That Promise of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that goes all the way back to EZ 36:26-27, and even in John 7:38-39 and following, and all the other promises off a Messiah to save His people, all began to be realized at Pentecost. Nobody was actually saved until they were made one with Jesus. That's how they were delivered from both the penalty of sin (justified) and the power of sin (born again).
John 8:47 Yes, these are the spiritual things that are understood by spirit. This is what was spoken of by Jesus in John 3, and we clearly see demonstrated by the Apostles, who already believed, but before Pentecost, before they were born again, could not comprehend these spiritual truths, and this is even recorded in Scripture . These are the deeper truths of Scripture.
NT-1 Cor. 2:14
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
OT-John 14:25-26
"These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.
OT-John 15:26
"But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me.
OT-John 16:4-15
But these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you may remember that I told you of them. And these things I did not say to you at the beginning, because I was with you. "But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, 'Where are You going?' But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you. And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.
Understanding that context, and more if you like, we can clearly see that there is no need to SSSTTTRRREEETTTCCCHHH the meaning of John 1:12-13 to mean that a man is born again before he believes. The passage simply doesn't say that. The right due, the Promise of the Father, needed to wait for Jesus to be glorified so there would be a death and resurrection to identify with to be born again, actual atonement to be applied, and righteousness of God to impute, all as a result of being spiritually "immersed" in Christ.
The difference between these Disciples in John 1:12-13 and those spoken of in Acts 13, is that those Disciples from John 1:12-13, true OT believers in OT revelation had already heard the Gospel and believed before Pentecost. Those Gentiles in Acts 13, already declared righteous by promise, who were true OT believers in OT revelation, still needed to hear the Gospel. In a sense, the Promise was owed to both, but one had one extra step to take. The same Promise applied to both, it's just that one had believed in the Gospel before Pentecost, thus the Promise was owed to them, and they only needed to receive Him. And those true OT believers in OT revelation in Acts 13 still needed to hear the Gospel, and believe, since it was after Pentecost, and Jesus was already glorified, they received the Holy Spirit at that same moment.
John 1:12-13 It's very simple. To those who believed, He gave the right to be born of God, thus making them children of God.
This right was realized when they are made one with Jesus Christ. As Jesus Himself said. Jesus must be lifted up (glorified), ***so that*** whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:14-15
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.
Eternal life happens after Jesus is glorified, and the spiritual union that saves is then possible. And the ingredients are actually made available from the union to actually save us.
